Tapping the Glass

I pushed gently against the locker door until the magnet parted with a soft pop. Stepping out into the vestibule, cold wet drops were drumming hard against the glass entrance! My knees wobbled, but... right beside the threshold, a heavy rubber-backed scraper mat had a brass water drainage channel laid into the floor. Bracing my boots on the rough coconut bristles, I knelt down and pressed both gloved hands against the slotted brass grate. Thump-clink! The heavy metal rib shifted just a fraction of an inch, letting a tiny bubble of rainwater trickle through the slit. Watching the water swirl safely below made my heart swell with brave relief.